Let The Day Begin

Let The Day Begin

We are in Bodo, Norway. It is the last weekend of August and there is only handful of dates to go on this summer tour of which we started rehearsing for way back in May, and of which we will gradually conclude in September. Not quite finished yet then, however there is the realisation that having mostly taken care of these summer shows, we all naturally have an eye on what’s next, and indeed what is the shape of the future to come. Details of much of that will be announced officially in the next few weeks, and plenty is in the process of being finalised.
But back to Bodo, and the harbour-front hotel where band and crew have just finished breakfast. For the musicians, we have a long but relaxing day in front of us as our stage time is set for 11 pm tonight. Some of us will go out sight seeing, some will catch up on whatever needs to be caught up on. Others (me) might take take the chance to work on a new song idea, followed by a walk through the little town.
For the crew it is a much different story. It might be just after 10 am and a whole 13 hours before our set begins. They however are already clambering onto the bus that will take them to the festival site and from the moment they arrive, a long day of intense work begins. Very long in fact, for it is possible that they will not get back to the hotel until after 1 am, and possibly even later. And that by any account is a long working day, even if typical during these summer events. Of course their shift is made even harder as an experience on those days when the weather is not favourable. When it is pissing down, or approaching the mid 30’s as it often is in Southern Europe.
And yet rarely do we hear any real complaint of fatigue from anyone involved. Sure, we all have good days and not so good days. We all, crew and band alike have our periods when energy is abundant, and other times when it is anything but. Likewise we all sometimes hanker for an easier run of events or better conditions to display our talents. But, somehow perspective is maintained, and collectively the aim of what we all do seemingly overshadows all else.
And what is that aim? That aim is to try and give 100% of ourselves every night. No matter the circumstances. Nothing is more important to us than our live shows after all. And with that, I take the opportunity again to point out how central our crew and their are efforts are in what we do. The show, and the results of it, rely as much on the talents of the individual crew members as it does the talents of those on stage.
Thanks to them.
Jim Kerr